What’s the point! Tonight’s gift, one Bible verse, is deceptively brief, but utterly profound and quite the reality to ponder. Because, remember, none of this is theorizing: we are living through 40 very real days … the 40 days force us to slow down and ponder the ramifications of Ash Wednesday; the ramifications that we […]

Isle of ewe: because ewe matters! One badddddd pun, I know. My point? Notice how one tiny play on words can re-frame your perspective – and after that, you never see life the same way again. So: brainstorm with me. I’m I’m going to play with one winkydinky. ….but the result will be no game. […]

Oh. I’m tired. Was it really well less than a week ago that we had ashes on our foreheads? How many gifts have we received within that time? The ashes have been washed off for several days now. I think my memory of what those gifts *are* is waning quickly, too. So let’s review before […]

Happy Easter! Read Luke 24 – you have all day; Easter lasts through midnight. Yep that’s why the big purple box at the top reminds us that the Sundays in Lent are celebrations of the resurrection! So read Luke 24 – you have until midnight.

Today ends Lent, week 1. [BTW, tomorrow, Sunday, does NOT begin Lent, week 2. Intrigued? Tune in tomorrow for that revelation.] Lent is a Christian holiday season. This church – Bethany Ev. Lutheran Church – is a Christian Church. Any true Christian Church is proud – and thankful! – to accept and proclaim reality. Even […]

If you did last night’s homework, you read Genesis, chapters 2 and 3. You read about the first human being made of humo – “dust.” You read about the first male, known to us in English by the name Adam. He is himself named merely for the adamah – dust. Tonight’s homework gives us one […]

Imagine that you are (or, were) an adopted child. You, your parents, your entire family … every one of you is content, because, despite knowing each other so well [ LOL ;)], you also know that you are very loved. In truth, you are a beloved — and you know it. However, unbeknownst to you, […]

Gift one: Ashes, which will be placed on your forehead at tonight’s Ash Wednesday service. Why? Because all human life starts with “ashes” — technically, the better word is “dust.” If you think scientifically, you’d call the human body carbon – “dust”; If you think like a Latin scholar, you’d call the human body “humo” […]